Balenciaga / Spring 2014 RTW

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“Last season was the prologue to my first steps at the house, looking at the codes, and this time I wanted to inject a sense of ease and sportswear into it,” explained Alexander Wang before sending out his second Balenciaga collection beneath the stupendous vaulted arches at the Paris Observatory. Wang has been studying the intricate secrets of the techniques Cristóbal Balenciaga developed in couture fabrics—or, at least, he’s made a start, because diving into that wellspring could easily last a lifetime. His first looks—rounded-shoulder techno biker jackets and stiff, curved, high-waisted shorts—were made from a leather-bound twine inspired directly by something in the archive. And by the end, he was sending out short, cape-back tailoring and a pristine shirtdress that bore a faint echo of Cristóbal’s monasticism.

The point, though, is that Alexander Wang’s audience is hardly going to base its purchasing decisions on how well he scored on his Balenciaga history paper. The leggy chic of some of the most abbreviated cape coats and the simplest of his variations on a black tuxedo have a direct contemporary appeal that doesn’t rest on having to know anything about the background. Buyers of the label have their own tests: They’re ever on the hunt for young, modern, sophisticated status pieces with a fashion presence—and, ideally, great shoes. These are what girls show off to one another. It would be fair to place bets that the new Balenciaga trouser (high-waisted, with a peplum that grows up from the legs and is zippered in front) and the ergonomic, abstract, foot-wrapping suede heels will rank as some of next season’s most paraded pieces for those who, literally, will stand in front of oncoming traffic in order to get their pictures taken by street photographers.

That’s all part of the fun of competitive dressing these days, and Alexander Wang is one member of the Instagram generation for whom those considerations are just normal. Digital scrutiny of every detail, in enlargement, is also something this generation must be factoring in. So here is Wang, making what seems at a passing glance to be a cropped, ribbed poor boy sweater. Zoomed in on, the ribs are discovered to be constructed from strips of leather with semi-sheer knit panels in between.

But another question for the girl in the market for a purchase might be, does Balenciaga product look different enough from Alexander Wang product to justify a splurge on something from both labels? It’s very much in Wang’s interest to ensure it does. In his own mind, he has mantras that separate the two collections. “There’s an extreme difference,” he says. “Mine is deconstruction and irreverence, and Balenciaga is precision and balance.” Keeping his eye on those distinctions while designing Balenciaga via e-mail, Skype, and one-week-a-month visits to the Paris studio, while also handling pre-collections, menswear, and accessories for both labels must be an extraordinary pressure. Well, he wasn’t showing it when he leapt out from backstage, waving and smiling with all his usual energy.